Tag: conservation

Simon has been researching the ability of animals to migrate between habitats and the state of connectivity of our protected areas, with a particular focus on the Blue Mountains, both in the present and under the influence of a changing climate. Australian World Heritage Areas have recently been suffering from the effects of climate change that…

Simon’s project is concerned with the isolation of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area as well as the issue of internal barriers and the effects this has on the native fauna as a prelude to efforts towards increasing the connectivity of the area with protected habitat to the north, south and west. An introduction to…

James Lee and Simon Nicholas are undertaking research projects as part of the Environmental Management Research Internship. Although at first glance the two projects would appear to be very different in subject matter and approach, a closer look reveals a common theme of ‘connectivity’. Simon’s project is concerned with the isolation of the Blue Mountains…

Who is responsible for fracking wastewater and how does that affect Michigan’s economy, communities and ecosystems? This is a map of the State of Michigan. The iconic Michigan glove is surrounded by freshwater lakes – the Great Lakes, which form part of the state’s natural and cultural identity. On this map, the red dots represent…

Six weeks into my research internship and it is officially Spring at the Clean Water Action office in Lansing, Michigan. Grand River was given a makeover over the weekend when the East Lansing and Lansing communities came together for the annual Grand River cleanup. Everything from jackets to bicycles, were collected from the river. As…

By Tim Smith 27th April 2014 Many of the world’s largest carnivores are under threat from hunting, habitat loss and climate change, according to a recent paper by ecologist William Ripple and his colleagues from North America, Europe and Australia. Their list of endangered species includes lions, leopards, panthers, tigers, sea otters, polar bears… and…

By Tim Smith April 3rd, 2014 Rewilding is a topical issue in the UK at the moment, largely led by the journalist George Monbiot, who has recently written a book on the subject, entitled ‘Feral.’ In Monbiot’s brave new world, the UK’s green and pleasant landscape comes alive with wolves, lynx and even bears. For…

Effective conservation strategies require a detailed understanding of ecosystem functions and trends. However, these occur over such large scales that it is often impossible for scientists to gather enough information to understand them. Scientists are increasingly recruiting members of the public to help fill this data gap – resulting in a boom in the popularity…